第４５１堀：天下五剣と島津一文字 (Part2)
"Let's see... it says here that the recipient is listed as 'Bitz Ranks.' Ahaha, I see. Did you hear about the sword from Taiki? Well, the proper paperwork was filed, and as long as I leave a copy here, it shouldn't be found out anytime soon. I'll just leave it as is."
"Go and get it back!!"
"Eh? But this whole mess is your problem, isn't it? I have no reason to intervene."
"Ngh..."
That’s right. This time, it wasn't Luna's mistake per se; it was a situation where we were told from the start to overcome the trouble with the gods ourselves. I couldn't expect any help from her.
"I could just use my powers to snap it back here, but that would defeat the purpose of you guys doing the work. It’s not like any rules were broken. You need to take it back with your own strength."
"If it gets out, won't the Eight Million Gods make a fuss?"
"Ah, well, I'll just blame it on Bitz, so it'll be fine. I just thought Yuki had it, so I wondered if I could swap it. Honestly, I have no intention of talking to Dungeon Masters other than those associated with Yuki. Those guys have been useless up until now; if I meet them, they'll just come crying to me. I'll pass on that."
True enough...
However, wait. The root of the problem is Luna failing to confirm the recipient. Surely, I can get some form of cooperation?
"It started because you neglected to confirm the destination, Luna. I’m not asking you to do everything for us, but at least tell us where the Dojigiri is. You said it might be taken over by an 'Aratama' (rough spirit), so it can be resurrected from that, right? That’s a problem for your side too, isn't it?"
"Ugh. You always know how to hit where it hurts... Well, I suppose it would be a pain if Shuten-doji were to resurrect as an Aratama over there. That guy is a cut above the gods on this side. An Aratama is, quite literally, a rough heart and soul. It’ll run wild. Stopping it is a hassle, and I do bear some responsibility..."
Ah, so it’s that level of a Great Yokai, is it?
"Can't be helped. I'll make it so you can sense its location, and if by some chance it does resurrect, I'll provide some support. A modern-day version of the Oeyama Shuten-doji extermination from another world sounds interesting. Okay."
"It doesn't sound interesting at all!? Damn it, we'll take it back before it resurrects!! So, how do I find the location!!"
"Yes, yes. There we go. It’s a pain, so I’ll only add it to Yuki’s call screen. You’ll see a yellow dot and a direction on the map function."
At her words, I hurriedly activated the map function on the call interface to check.
"The direction is definitely toward the Land of Swords... Does that princess have it?"
"Who knows? I don't keep track of things like that. But if it's the Land of Swords, it wouldn't be strange if Nogosh had it. That guy got beaten to a pulp by Kamiizumi Nobutsuna about thirty years ago, so he’s probably obsessed with swords. That was hilarious."
Give us that kind of information faster!!
"Um, Yuki-san."
"What is it, Taiki-kun?"
"Well, Taizo-san is..."
"Taizo-san?"
When he said that, I looked back at Taizo-san, who was trembling with his face bowed.
"Um, Taizo-san, what's wrong?"
"Yuki-kun. We must attack the Land of Swords immediately."
He said that with a look in his eyes that had gone completely cold.
"To have a national treasure stolen is a disgrace to Japan!! It’s the same as having our soul stolen!!"
"P-please, calm down!!"
"How can I be calm!! Never mind the Dojigiri, even the Shimazu Ichimonji was taken!!"
"What!? Hey, Luna!!"
"Hmm? Oh, right, there was a Shimazu Ichimonji, too. But that one is just a copy, you know?"
"That is irrelevant!! For a copy of the treasure sword of my liege, the Shimazu clan, to be held by others is a disgrace to a warrior!! We must take it back at all costs!!"
Ah, crap.
He’s genuinely furious.
"We must immediately declare the execution of this 'Reye' person and demand the return of the swords!! If that is not granted, we shall use our entire army to take them back from Nogosh in the Land of Swords!!"
Ugh... A demon has emerged from within our own ranks.